Foldable Container and Foldable Supporting Frame Thereof, and Folding Method

ABSTRACT

A foldable container for pet bathing includes a foldable supporting frame and a container body arranged on the supporting frame and constructed to be unfolded for containing a liquid for the pet to bath, wherein the foldable supporting frame includes two top supporting arms each including a rod body having a fixing cavity and a slot communicated to the fixing cavity, wherein the container body includes a bottom wall and a surrounding wall connected to the bottom wall, wherein the surrounding wall comprises an edge which is detachably mounted in the fixing cavity of the rod body through the slot.

CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION

This is a is a Continuation Application that claims the benefit ofpriority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to a non-provisional application,application Ser. No. 18/151,406, filed Jan. 6, 2023, which is aContinuation-In-Part application that claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 120 to a non-provisional application, application Ser.No. 17/716,967, filed on Apr. 8, 2022, which is a ContinuationApplication that claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 toa non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 17/251,752, filedDec. 11, 2020, which is a non-provisional application which is a U.S.National Stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 of the International ApplicationNumber PCT/CN2019/090087, filed Jun. 5, 2019, which claims priority toChinese application numbers 201810575375.9, 201820871770.7,201820871648.X and 201820871354, filed Jun. 6, 2018, and also aContinuation application that claims the benefit of priority under 35U.S.C. § 120 to a non-provisional application, application Ser. No.16/041,822, filed Jul. 22, 2018, which are incorporated herewith byreference in their entities.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a foldable appliance, and moreparticularly to a foldable container with foldable supporting frame andfolding method thereof.

Description of Related Arts

Many foldable brackets are designed and aid for daily entertainmentactivities. Accordingly, a height of the bracket can be raised to liftup the appliance from the ground during the use of the appliance. As aresult, the user does not have to bend or squat to use the appliance.Once the bracket is folded, a size of the bracket is reduced for storageand space saving.

Household temporary container, especially large size receptacle, ispopular to be used as basin, container body or swimming pool forbathing, cleaning or playing purpose. This temporary container isconvenient for most families. For example, the user is able to move thistemporary container from place to place, such as bathroom or yard, asneeded. Since this kind of container needs to have space large enough tohold at least a child or pet inside while having enough space to containwater or cleaning liquid, the conventional container is generally madein larger size. This kind of rigid container is convenient for mostfamilies also take wider space for using water, usually in outdoor areaor bathroom. It is known that such relatively large container is notrequired to be used all the time or even daily use, this temporarycontainer will not be the primary consideration for most families inview of storage, especially for urban families. Since the storage inurban family is very limited, it is a problem to store the temporarycontainer when it is not in used. These defects of the temporarycontainer cannot be solved and this temporary container is not practicalin use.

Specifically, in order to reduce the space occupied by the temporarycontainer when it is not in use, the current temporary container isdesigned to be inflatable, such that the temporary container is reusedby inflating and deflating the temporary container. Usually, thetemporary container is inflated by an inflator or inflatable pump.Before using the inflatable temporary container, it is necessary toinitially place the inflatable temporary container in a preset position,and then use the inflatable pump to inflate the inflatable temporarycontainer for at least five minutes for fully inflate the temporarycontainer by filling a predetermined amount of gas to bias against theinner sidewall of the temporary container so as to support the shape ofthe temporary container. In other words, it is very troublesome to setupthe temporary container. If the inflatable pump is damaged or lost, theinflatable temporary container cannot be used at all. Moreover, in orderto facilitate the temporary container being folded after deflation, itis also necessary to provide an air exhaust vent at the temporarycontainer. If the air exhaust vent is poorly sealed, air leakage islikely to occur. Once the inflatable temporary container has an airleakage problem, it is easy to cause the water or cleaning liquidcontained in the temporary container to leak out, especially for thetemporary container used in the living room. In other words, if thewater or cleaning fluid leaks out of the temporary container, it willinevitably cause water damage to the home environment. Furthermore,during the manufacturing process of the inflatable temporary container,the air exhaust vent is affixed to the sidewall of the temporarycontainer to communicate with an interior air chamber of the inflatabletemporary container. It is difficult to ensure the tightness between thesidewall and the air exhaust vent.

For the temporary container made of plastic, it must be stored indoorsin order to prevent the plastic aging from directly exposing under thesun. Therefore, it is necessary to save a larger space for storing thetemporary container. In some cases, the entire temporary container isused to store various items inside the container during storage, suchthat these items must be placed somewhere in the storage room. However,before the next use of the temporary container, additional steps arerequired to take out the items and clean the container before use.

In addition to liquid containers, some cooking utensils, such as grills,table tops, etc., have similar problems. One of the major problems isstability after it is setup. Since the foldable bracket is movable, itis a major concern how to keep the stability of the foldable bracketwhen it is unfolded. The existing foldable bracket is basicallyconstructed to have a X-shaped pivotal structure. This structureprovides high mobility and is easy to deform during use. The foldableangle may increase permanently as the structure is frequently used.

In addition, the temporary container is directly placed on the groundwhen it is used, wherein the user will need to bend over when helpingchildren or pets to clean, which is likely to hurt health the user,especially the back of the user.

Even though the existing foldable brackets can be folded, the foldingoperation thereof requires many steps. Basically, it requires two handsto close the bracket, and may also need to rotate and fold differentparts of the bracket frame. So, the traditional folding process of thefoldable bracket is very troublesome. Since the folding process iscomplicated and difficult, the user will merely keep the temporarycontainer being unfolded all the time, which fails to achieve the mainpurpose of folding up the temporary container for storage to save thespace.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The invention is advantageous in that it provides a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable container can be folded to reduce the overall size thereofwhen the foldable container in not in use.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe space occupied by the foldable container after being folded isgreatly reduced to save the storage space of the foldable container andto allow the folded foldable container to be easily carried.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinwhen the foldable supporting frame is unfolded, the foldable supportingframe is raised and supported at a predetermined height for stablysupporting the container.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe size of the foldable supporting frame is enlarged when it isunfolded and the size of the foldable supporting frame is reduced whenit is folded.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable container can be conveniently operated to quickly convertthe foldable container between the folded mode and the unfolded mode.The folding and unfolding operations of the foldable container does notrequire any tool to move foldable container between the folded mode andthe unfolded mode.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable supporting frame is folded by a single pulling forcewithout additional force or steps, and then the foldable supportingframe is folded up and is ready for storage or carry.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable supporting frame is easily pulled for being folded up andstored. Therefore, the folded foldable supporting frame can fit in anarrow storage space.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe folded foldable supporting frame is easily and quickly unfolded foruse without any tools or devices so as to save time and to minimize anycomplicated steps.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable supporting frame can be used as a support for liquidcontainers or household utensils.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable supporting frame can support the appliance at apredetermined height from the ground, so as to keep the water orcleaning liquid from the ground for maintaining relative hygiene andcleanliness.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable container allows the water or cleaning liquid containedtherein being automatically flowed out and drained.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable container is easily cleaned and is easy to actuate and keepdry.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinwhen the foldable supporting frame is folded, the container isautomatically folded at the same time for facilitating the foldingoperation of the foldable container to convert from the unfolded mode tothe folded mode.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinwhen the foldable supporting frame is unfolded, the container isautomatically unfolded for facilitating the unfolding operation of thefoldable container to convert from the folded mode to the unfolded mode.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe container is pulled and folded to fold up the foldable supportingframe at the same time without any direct operation of the foldablesupporting frame, so as to automatically move the foldable supportingframe from the unfolded mode to the folded mode.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinwhen the foldable container is in the unfolded mode, the foldablecontainer can be pulled by a pulling action to easily fold up thefoldable container from the unfolded mode to the folded mode.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinwhen the foldable container is at the unfolded mode, the foldablecontainer allows a one-handed pulling operation to simplify the foldingoperation of the foldable container.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable supporting frame can support the container to raise at apredetermined height so as to allow the user comfortably cleaning forchildren or pets, as an example. In other words, the foldable containerallows the user to wash the child or pet in a standing position, whichis beneficial to the health of the user, and is particularly beneficialto the back of the user.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable supporting frame is supported and raised at a predeterminedheight for the user to operate comfortably without bending the back ofthe user.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe shape of the foldable supporting frame is restricted when it isfolded without being pulled, such that the foldable supporting frameprovides a stable supporting ability.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable containerand a foldable supporting frame thereof and its folding method, whereinthe foldable supporting frame will not be folded accidentally, such thatfoldable supporting frame will maintain its stability when it isunfolded and in use.

Additional advantages and features of the invention will become apparentfrom the description which follows and may be realized by means of theinstrumentalities and combinations particular point out in the appendedclaims.

According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects andadvantages are attained by a foldable container, which comprises:

-   -   a foldable supporting frame;    -   at least one operation switch, wherein the operation switch is        coupled with the foldable supporting frame to move the foldable        supporting frame between an unfolded mode and a folded mode        through a pulling operation of the operation switch; and    -   a container body, wherein the container body is supported on the        foldable supporting frame, wherein the container body has a        surrounding edge defining an opening thereof surrounded by the        edge, wherein at the unfolded mode, the opening of the container        body is opened, wherein at the folded mode, the opening of the        container body is closed, wherein the container body is        automatically folded as the foldable supporting frame is moved        from the unfolded mode to the folded mode.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the container body isconnected to the operation switch, wherein the operation switch isactuated by a pulling operation of the container body in order to foldup the foldable supporting frame.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the foldable supportingframe is driven to fold by a folding of the container body, wherein thefoldable supporting frame is maintained at the unfolded mode by thesupport of the operation switch, such that when the operation switch isactuated to release the support of the foldable supporting frame, andthe foldable supporting frame is moved from the unfolded mode to thefolded mode.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the foldable supportingframe comprises two folding arms and at least four supporting legs,wherein each of the folding arms is supported by the supporting legs,wherein the folding arms are pivotally connected with each other at theoperation switch, wherein the folding arm and the supporting leg arepivotally rotated with each other.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the foldable supportingframe further comprises a pivot shaft, wherein each of the supportinglegs is pivotally connected to each of the folding arms about the pivotshaft, wherein when the folding arm is rotated, the supporting leg isdriven by the folding arm to rotate about the pivot shaft.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the folding arm furthercomprises a switch rod, wherein the switch rod is disposed at an end ofone of the folding arms, wherein in the unfolded mode, the switch rod issupported by the operation switch to limit the movement between the twofolding arms of the foldable support frame.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the folding arm furthercomprises a rotating rod, wherein two of the folding arms are pivotallyconnected to each other about the rotating rod.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating rod is placedin the operation switch.

In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the folding arms isaffixed to the operation switch, and another one is freely placed on theoperation switch to form a fixed folding arm and a free rotatablefolding arm respectively. The fixed folding arm and the rotating rod arearranged on the operation switch while the free rotatable folding arm ismovably arranged on the operation switch about the rotating rod.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the end of the freerotatable folding arm is further transversely connected with the switchrod, wherein when the folding arm is unfolded, the free rotatablefolding arm is parallel to the fixed folding arm while the switch rod issupported by the operation switch.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the operation switchcomprises a main body, a slider and a resilient member, wherein theslider is movably disposed on the main body, the resilient member isconnected to the main body, and the slider is affixed inside the mainbody.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the main body is constructedand shaped to retain at the end of the folding arm.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the free rotatable foldingarm is rotatably held on the main body, wherein the fixed folding arm isfirmly held on the main body.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the main body is constructedto have two fixed arm cavities, two free arm cavities and a slidercavity, wherein the end of the fixed folding arm is affixed to the fixedarm cavity, and the rotating rod is laterally arranged in the fixed armcavity, wherein the end of the free rotatable folding arm is movablyplaced in the free arm cavity and is rotatably connected about therotating rod.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the slider has a supportingend, wherein the supporting end is formed with a unidirectional inclinedsloping surface, wherein the supporting end is pushed by the switch rodto move, and the supporting end is configured to support the weight ofthe switch rod without being pushed back.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the operation switch isactuated by pulling a handle provided on the container body in order tofold the foldable supporting frame, wherein the operation switch furthercomprises a pulling strap, wherein the slider has a pulling end firmlyconnected to the pulling strap, wherein the pulling strap has one endconnecting to the handle and the opposed end connecting the pulling endof the slider.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the slider is moved back tothe slider cavity under the elastic force of the resilient member bypulling the pulling strap.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each of the supporting legsis coupled to an extension leg to raise the height of the containerbody.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the container body isconstructed to have a surrounding wall and a bottom wall sealinglyconnected to the surrounding wall to form a bowl shape of the containerbody, wherein the bottom wall has a drain port for draining the liquidcontained in the container body.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the presentinvention comprises a foldable supporting frame, which comprises:

-   -   two folding arms;    -   at least four supporting legs; and    -   at least one operation switch, wherein each of the folding arms        is supported by the supporting leg, wherein the supporting leg        is pivotally rotated with the folding arm, wherein the folding        arms are pivotally connected to the operation switch, wherein        the operation switch is arranged on the folding arm to move the        folding arms between an unfolded mode and a folded mode via a        pulling force, wherein the folding arm is maintained in the        unfolded mode by a support of the operation switch, wherein when        the switch is actuated to release the support of the folding        arm, the folding arm is moved from the unfolded mode to the        folded mode.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the presentinvention comprises a foldable supporting frame, which comprises:

-   -   a supporting frame; and    -   at least one operation switch, wherein the switch is arranged on        the supporting frame and is actuated through a pulling operation        by a pulling force to move the supporting frame between an        unfolded mode and a folded mode, wherein the supporting frame is        maintained at the unfolded mode by a support of the operation        switch, wherein the operation switch is actuated to release the        support of the supporting frame so as to automatically move the        supporting frame from the unfolded mode to the folded mode,        wherein supporting frame comprises two folding arms and at least        four supporting legs, wherein each of the folding arms is        supported by the supporting legs, wherein the folding arms are        pivotally connected to the operation switch and are asymmetrical        to each other, wherein the folding arm and the supporting leg        are pivot and rotate mutually.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the operation switch ismovably connected to the supporting frame, wherein the operation switchis actuated via a pulling force to fold the supporting frame.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the supporting frame isopened to be unfolded and supported by the operation switch.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the supporting frame furthercomprises a pivot shaft, wherein each of the supporting legs ispivotally connected to each of the folding arms about the pivot shaft,wherein when the folding arm is rotated, the supporting leg is driven torotate about the pivot shaft by the folding arm.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the end of the freerotatable folding arm is further connected transversely to the switchrod, wherein the switch rod can be supported by the switch, wherein whenthe folding arm is unfolded, the free rotatable arm is parallel to thefixed folding arm while the switch rod is supported by the operationswitch.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the foldable supportingframe further comprises a container body, wherein the container body isarranged on the supporting frame, and the container body is folded to beclosed as the supporting frame is folded, wherein the container body isopened as the supporting frame is unfolded.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the presentinvention comprises a foldable supporting frame, which comprises:

-   -   a supporting frame; and    -   at least one operation switch, wherein the operation switch is        arranged on the supporting frame and is actuated through a        pulling operation by a pulling force to move the supporting        frame between an unfolded mode and a folded mode, wherein the        supporting frame is maintained at the unfolded mode by a support        of the operation switch, wherein the operation switch is        actuated to release the support of the supporting frame so as to        automatically move the supporting frame from the unfolded mode        to the folded mode, wherein the operation switch comprises a        main body, a slider and a resilient member, wherein the slider        is movably arranged on the main body, wherein the resilient        member is connected to the main body and the slider, wherein the        slider is affixed inside the main body.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the foldable supportingframe further comprises a container body, wherein the container body hasan edge and an opening formed around the edge, wherein at the unfoldedmode, the opening of the container body is opened, wherein at the foldedmode, the opening of the container body is closed, wherein the containerbody is automatically folded as the foldable supporting frame is movedfrom the unfolded mode to the folded mode.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the presentinvention comprises a folding method for a foldable supporting frame,which comprises the steps of:

-   -   folding a container body via a pulling force; and    -   when folding up the container body, folding the foldable        supporting frame from the unfolded mode to the folded mode,        wherein at the unfolded mode, the container body is supported by        the foldable supporting frame, and at the folded mode, the        foldable supporting frame and the container body are folded        together.

Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following detailed description,the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable container at an unfolded modeaccording to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the foldable container at a folded modeaccording to the above first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of the foldable container at thefolded mode according to the above first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3B illustrates the supporting structure of the foldable containerat the unfolded mode according to the above first preferred embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3C is a perspective view of a container body of a foldablecontainer according the above first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein two fixing ribs are not inserted into an edge of asurrounding wall of the container body.

FIG. 3D is a perspective view of the container body of the foldablecontainer according to the above first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein two fixing ribs are inserted into the edge ofthe surrounding wall.

FIG. 3E is a perspective view of the container body assembly of thefoldable container according to the above first preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3F is a perspective view illustrating the process for mounting topsupporting arms to the container body of the foldable containeraccording to the above first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3G is a perspective view of the top supporting arms of the foldablecontainer according to the above first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3H are sectional views illustrating the edge of the surroundingwall being mounted to the top supporting arms of the foldable containeraccording to the above first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3I is a perspective view of the assembled container body assemblyof the foldable container according to the above first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3J is a perspective view of the foldable container being in theunfolded state according to the above first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3K is a perspective view of the foldable container in the foldedstate according to the above first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the supporting frame of thefoldable container according to the above first preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an application of the foldable container at theunfolded mode according to the above first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 6A to 6C illustrate an unfolding operation of the foldablecontainer according to the above first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate a folding operation of the foldable containeraccording to the above first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foldable container at an unfolded modeaccording to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A to 9B illustrate an unfolding operation of the foldablecontainer according to the above second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 10A to 10B illustrate a folding operation of the foldablecontainer according to the above second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a foldable container at an unfoldedmode according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates an application of the foldable container at theunfolded mode according to the above third preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, illustrating the foldable container serving as arocking container.

FIG. 13 illustrates an application of the foldable container at theunfolded mode according to the above third preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, illustrating the foldable container serving as a babycrib.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description is disclosed to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the present invention. Preferred embodiments areprovided in the following description only as examples and modificationswill be apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principlesdefined in the following description would be applied to otherembodiments, alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and applicationswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It is appreciated that the terms “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “upper”,“lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, vertical”, “horizontal”,“top”, “bottom”, “exterior”, and “interior” in the following descriptionrefer to the orientation or positioning relationship in the accompanyingdrawings for easy understanding of the present invention withoutlimiting the actual location or orientation of the present invention.Therefore, the above terms should not be an actual location limitationof the elements of the present invention.

It is appreciated that the terms “one”, “a”, and “an” in the followingdescription refer to “at least one” or “one or more” in the embodiment.In particular, the term “a” in one embodiment may refer to “one” whilein another embodiment may refer to “more than one”. Therefore, the aboveterms should not be an actual numerical limitation of the elements ofthe present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 13 of the drawings, a foldable containeraccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention isillustrated, wherein the foldable container is suitable for containingwater or liquid for cleaning therein to serve as a container body or aswimming pool. The foldable container comprises a foldable supportingframe 10, an operation switch 20 being operated through a pullingoperation by a pulling force to operate and move the foldable supportingframe 10 between an unfolded mode and a folded mode, and a containerbody 30 being placed and supported on the foldable supporting frame 10.In other words, when the foldable supporting frame 10 is unfolded, thecontainer body 30 is also unfolded for containing the liquid therein.When the foldable supporting frame 10 is moved to its folded mode, thecontainer body 30 and the foldable supporting frame 10 are foldedtogether, such that the entire foldable container can be stored in afolded state.

Preferably, when the foldable supporting frame 10 is unfolded, thecontainer body 30 is automatically unfolded along with the foldingoperation of the foldable supporting frame 10. In other words, duringthe folding process of the foldable supporting frame 10, the containerbody 30 is automatically folded when the foldable supporting frame 10 isfolded.

It is worth mentioning that the present invention provides a singlepulling operation referring to the one-way mode when the foldablecontainer is operated to moved and converted from the unfolded mode tothe folded mode. In other words, operating the foldable container at thesame direction can move the foldable container from the unfolded mode tothe folded mode. Preferably, the single pulling operation in the presentinvention refers to the one-way pulling operation when operating thefoldable container to move from the unfolded mode to the folded mode. Inother words, pulling the foldable container at the same direction at onetime can move the foldable container from the unfolded mode to thefolded mode. It is appreciated that those skilled in the art shouldunderstand that pulling the foldable container at the same direction indifferent stages can also move the foldable container from the unfoldedmode to the folded mode. For example, pulling the foldable containertwice toward the same direction can also move the foldable containerfrom the unfolded mode to the folded mode. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ,the container body 30 according to the preferred embodiment is fixedlycoupled at the foldable supporting frame 10. The container body 30 isdriven by the foldable supporting frame 10 to be folded and unfolded.When the container body 30 is needed to be unfolded, the foldablesupporting frame 10 is operated to unfold the container body 30. It isworth mentioning that the foldable container can be unfolded as a wholesystem without any additional step. No additional step is required toopen up the container body 30 or improve the stability of the containerbody 30. When the foldable supporting frame 10 is operated to expand andunfolded, the container body 30 is simultaneously expanded at its setupstate. In addition, folding up the container body 30 by folding thefoldable supporting frame 10 is similar. When the foldable supportingframe 10 is folded, the foldable supporting frame 10 will drive thecontainer body 30 to fold. Therefore, the folding or unfolding of thefoldable container can be easily operated.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the foldable supporting frame 10 comprises at leasttwo top supporting arms 11, at least two folding arms 12, and at leastfour supporting legs 13. Each of the top supporting arms 11 is placed onthe folding arm 12 and the supporting leg 13, wherein the folding arm 12and the top supporting arm 11 are supported by the supporting leg 13.Preferably, the number of the top supporting arms 11, the folding arms12 and the supporting legs 13 are corresponding, wherein each of the topsupporting arm 11 and each of the folding arms 12 are correspondinglysupported by the supporting leg 13.

It is worth mentioning that the folding arms 12 are pivotally connectedto each other by the operation switch 20. The rotation of the foldingarm 12 is configured to drive the folding or unfolding movement of thetop supporting arm 11 and the supporting leg 13. When the foldablesupporting frame 10 is in the folded mode, the two folding arms 12 arearranged to be folded and overlapped each other. When the foldablesupporting frame 10 is in the unfolded mode, the two folding arms 12 arearranged to be unfolded to open and extended flatly. Therefore, when thefolding arm 12 is folded, the top supporting arm 11 and the supportingleg 13 are folded following the folding operation of the folding arm 12.Therefore, by only folding the folding arm 12, the entire foldablesupporting frame 10 is folded, which is convenient in operation. Whenthe foldable supporting frame 10 is folded, the container body 30 iscorrespondingly folded.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the operation switch 20 is connected to two ends ofthe two folding arms 12 to control the foldable supporting frame 10 toswitch between folding and unfolding. The switch 20 can be furtheroperated by being pulled to move the folding arm 12 from the unfoldedmode to the folded mode. In other words, when the foldable supportingframe 10 is in the unfolded mode, the operation switch 20 is pulled todrive and move the folding arm 12. In other words, the folding arm 12 isfolded due to gravity and loss of supportability. Though the pullingoperation, the operation switch 20 is pulled to fold the foldablesupporting frame 10.

Specifically, the two folding arms 12 are pivotally connected with eachother around a rotating rod 121, wherein the rotating rod 121 is placedbetween the ends of the two folding arms 12. The rotating rod 121 isinstalled into the operation switch 20. The two folding arms 12 arerotated around the operation switch 20, wherein the operation switch 20is configured to restrict the rotations of the folding arms 12 relativeto each other. According to the first embodiment, one of the foldingarms 12 is fixed to the operation switch 20, while another folding arm12 is relatively free to rotate relative to the operation switch 20. Inother words, one of the folding arms 12 is defined as a fixed foldingarm 1202, and another folding arm 12 is a free rotatable folding arm1201. The fixed folding arm 1202 is installed into the operation switch20 together with the rotating rod 121. The free rotatable folding arm1201 is rotatably coupled at the operation switch 20 around the rotatingrod 121.

In addition, the rotation of the fixed folding arm 1202 and the freerotatable folding arm 1201 around the rotating rod 121 are asymmetrical.In other words, when the fixed folding arm 1202 and the free rotatablefolding arm 1201 are folded with each other, the fixed folding arm 1202and the free rotatable folding arm 1201 are staggered and stacked witheach other and will not contact or collide with each other. On one side,the fixed folding arm 1202 and the free rotatable folding arm 1201 willnot be mechanically damaged during the folding and unfolding operations.On the other side, after folding, a retention channel is formed betweenthe fixed folding arm 1202 and the free rotatable folding arm 1201.

It is worth mentioning that the end of the free rotatable folding arm1201 is further transversely connected to a switch rod 122. When thefolding arm 12 is flatly unfolded, the switch rod 122 is firmlysupported by the operation switch 20, wherein the free rotatable foldingarm 1201 is parallel to the fixed folding arm 1202. When the switch rod122 is supported, the free rotatable folding arm 1201 is relativelysupported on the same side of the fixed folding arm 1202. When theoperation switch 20 is configured to keep supporting the switch rod 122,the free rotatable folding arm 1201 is configured to remains relativeparallel to the fixed folding arm 1202. When the switch rod 122 isreleased from the operation switch 20, the free rotatable folding arm1201 will lose its support. Under the action of gravity force, the freerotatable folding arm 1201 will rotate around the rotating rod 121 andfold toward the fixed folding arm 1202. In other words, when the switchrod 122 is supported by the operation switch 20, due to the restrictionof the operation switch 20, the folding arm 12 is unfolded and isdifficult to change its position. Once the switch rod 122 is detachedfrom the operation switch 20, the folding arm 12 can rotate around therotating rod 121 to be folded. Therefore, the folding arm 12 iscontrolled by the operation switch 20 for controlling the movement ofthe folding arm 12, wherein the folding position or the unfoldingposition of the foldable supporting frame 10 is indirectly controlled bythe operation switch 20.

In addition, the supporting legs 13 and the folding arms 12 arepivotally connected to pivot shafts 130 respectively. When the foldingarm 12 is operated to rotate around the rotating rod 121, the angle anddistance between the folding arms 12 are changed while the supportingleg 13 is driven to rotate around the pivot shafts 130. Each of thesupporting legs 13, each of the folding arms 12, and the pivot shaft 130are formed into a rotatable X-shaped frame. Since the movements of thefolding arms 12 are transmitted to the supporting legs 13, thesupporting legs 13 are automatically moved for being further folded orunfolded via the folding arms 12.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3B, the container body 30 is detachablyconnected to the foldable supporting frame 10. The container body 30 canbe further removed from the folding supporting frame 10 for beingcleaned or disinfected.

Furthermore, the top supporting arm 11 is driven to rotate by thesupporting leg 13 via a folding assembly 110, wherein the foldingassembly 110 is installed at the top of the supporting leg 13. When thesupporting leg 13 is folded or unfolded as the folding arm 12 rotates,the top supporting arm 11 is driven to rotate around the foldingassembly 110. Each of the supporting legs 13, each of the top supportingarms 11, and the folding assembly 110 are formed into a rotatableinversed V-shaped frame. Since the folding assembly 110 is driven, it isnot necessary to fold or unfold the supporting leg 13 because themovement of the folding assembly 110 will be transmitted to thesupporting leg 13.

In detail, the folding assembly 110 comprises a rotatable base 111 and alinkage unit 112. The rotatable base 111 is coupled at the end of thetop supporting arm 11 to receive the upper end of the supporting leg 13in the rotatable base 111. The linkage unit 12 comprises two linkagemembers 1121 respectively mounted on the top end of the supporting leg13 and the end of the top supporting arm 11. The linkage members 1121are connected by link shafts 1122, so that the angle between each topsupporting arm 11 and each supporting leg 13 can be controlled and has amaximum angle limitation. Each of the top supporting arms 11, each ofthe supporting legs 13 and the linkage member 1121 are formed in an Ashape, wherein the top supporting arms 11 will drive the supporting legs13 to move, while the supporting legs 13 will drive the top supportingarm 11 to move around the rotatable base 111.

Preferably, by operating the operation switch 20 to release the switchrod 122 and to fold the folding arm 12, the supporting leg 13 and thetop supporting arm 11 are corresponding folded. Preferably, the topsupporting arm 11 is expanded to further drive the folding arm 12 to besupported on the operation switch 20 and to drive the supporting leg 13to expand.

Furthermore, each of the supporting legs 13 is configured forcorrespondingly installing an extension leg 14 for increasing the heightof the top supporting arm 11 and keeping the container body 30 on thetop supporting arm 11 in a preset position, as shown in FIG. 5 . Throughthe extension legs 14, the container body 30 is supported and raisedabove the ground for hygienic and cleaning purpose while the water orcleaning liquid is contained in the container body 30. As a result, theuser can comfortably use the container body 30 without bending theuser's body.

The container body 30 comprises a surrounding wall 31 and a bottom wall32 sealingly connected to the surrounding wall 31 to form the containerbody 30 having a bowl shape and a surrounding edge 310 defining anopening thereof surrounded by the edge 310. The edge 310 of thesurrounding wall 31 is disposed on the top supporting arm 11 of thefoldable supporting frame 10. In one alternative mode of the presentinvention, the container body 30 is detachably mounted on the topsupporting arm 11 for replacement. The container body 30 furthercomprises at least one pocket 33 placed on the surrounding wall 31. Thepocket 33 is configured for keeping other items therein to facilitatethe reaching of items when using liquid for cleaning or playing in thecontainer body 30.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3B, the edge 310 of the surrounding wall 31is constructed to have a fixing rib 312 and an edge sleeve 311, whereinthe fixing rib 312 is configured to pass through the edge sleeve 311,such that the edge 310 is supported with its shape. The top supportingarm 11 further comprises a rod body 101, wherein the rod body 101 has afixing cavity 102 formed on one side of the rod body 101. The fixingcavity 102 is extended through the rod body 101, wherein the edge 310 ofthe surrounding wall 31 is installed inside the fixing cavity 102.

Specifically, the fixing rib 312 is extended into the fixing cavity 102of the rod body 101, such that the edge sleeve 311 to be carried issuspended and fixed to the rod body 101. In the first embodiment, thefixing cavity 102 of the rod body 101 has a U-shaped configuration,wherein the fixing rib 312 is configured to enter from an opening, whichis a slot 103, of the fixing cavity 102 into the fixing cavity 102.Furthermore, the edge sleeve 311 is formed in a U-shape and is alsoconnected to the rod body 101 of the top supporting arm 11 in a U-shape.When the surrounding wall 31 is needed to be disassembled, the fixingrib 312 is relatively removed from the fixing cavity 102 of the rod body101, wherein the fixing rib 312 is completely removed from the topsupporting arm 11. Preferably, the rod body 101 is pulled to release thesupportability of the edge sleeve 311. More preferably, the fixing rib312 is detachably connected to the sleeve edge 311, such that the sleeveedge 311 can be further folded or cleaned.

Referring to FIGS. 3C to 3K of the drawings, the structure forconnecting the edge 310 of the surrounding wall 31 of the container body30 with the top supporting arm 11 is illustrated. Accordingly, thepresent invention provides a container assembly 300 which comprises thecontainer body 30 and two top supporting arms 11 which are embodied astwo container arms, the edge 310 of the surrounding wall 31 is mountedto the two top supporting arms 11 through the structure of the fixingrib 312, the edge sleeve 311 and the rob body 101 of each top supportingarm 11.

More specifically, the edge sleeve 311 of the surrounding wall 31 hastwo mounting holes 3111 and two retaining channels 3112, each mountinghole 3111 is communicated to the corresponding retaining channel 3112,the edge 310 of the surrounding wall 31 comprises two fixing ribs 312which are respectively inserted into the two retaining channels 3112through the two mounting holes 3111, so that the two fixing ribs 312 arerespectively retained in the two retaining channels 3112.

Referring to FIGS. 3C to 3K of the drawings, the container assembly 300comprises two top supporting arms 11, each of the top supporting arms 11comprises the rod body 101 having the fixing cavity 102 and the slot 103extended along a length of the rod body 101 and communicated to thefixing cavity 102.

As shown in FIGS. 3D to 3H of the drawings, each rod body 101 is sleevedon the edge sleeve 311 of the surrounding wall 31 through a positioncorresponding to the mounting hole 3111 of the edge sleeve 311, so thatthe edge 310 of the surrounding wall 31 comprising the two fixing ribs312 and the edge sleeve 311 are respectively received and retained inthe fixing cavities 102 of the two rod bodies 101 of the two topsupporting arms 11.

Accordingly, the foldable supporting frame 10 is a rigid frame that ismade of a material selected from the group consisting of wood, metal,metal alloy, and plastic. Metal of the material of the foldablesupporting frame 10 may be Iron, Copper, or Aluminium. The containerbody 30 of the container assembly 300 is preferably a flexible body thatis made of a flexible water-proof material such as PE (Polyethylene),PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PP (Polypropylene) and TPU (ThermoplasticUrethane). Accordingly, the flexible container body 30 is constructed tobe easy to be folded up with a folding of the foldable supporting frame10 and unfolded with an unfolding of the foldable supporting frame 10,when the foldable supporting frame 10 is unfolded, the foldablesupporting frame 10 is supported in the unfolded mode by the operationswitch 20 to provide a rigid support to the container body 30, and theoperation switch 20 is able to be operated to release the rigid supportof the foldable supporting frame 10 when the foldable supporting frame10 is operated from the unfolded mode to the folded mode.

The two top supporting arms 11 can be made of rigid material such asmetal, metal alloy, and plastic. The two fixing ribs 312 can be flexiblerods that allow each fixing rib 312 to pass through the correspondingcurved retaining channel 3112 which may have a semicircle shape. Whenthe two fixing ribs 312 are respectively retained in the two retainingchannels 3112 of the edge sleeve 311, the material of the edge sleeve311 is sandwiched between the inner surface around the fixing cavity 102of the rod body 101 of each top supporting arm 11 and the fixing ribs312, so that the edge sleeve 311 of the edge 310 of the surrounding wall31 is firmly retained and mounted by the two top supporting arms 11. Theshape and size of the fixing ribs 312 are respectively matched with thefixing cavities 102 of the rod bodies 101 of the two top supporting arms11, such as that the fixing ribs 312 are engaged with the correspondingtwo fixing cavities 102 of the rod bodies 101 of the two top supportingarms 11 by a snap-fit engaging manner or an interference fit engagingmanner, so as to prevent the fixing ribs 312 from slipping out of thefixing cavities 102.

As an example, the two top supporting arms 11 can be made of Aluminium,and each of the rod body 101 is an aluminium rod. The two top supportingarms 11 thus can provide a relatively rigid support to the containerbody 30 and the two top supporting arms 11 define an opening 34 of thecontainer assembly 300, the opening 34 is also defined and surrounded bythe surrounding wall 31 of the container body 30. Since the two topsupporting arms 11 are made of rigid material, the shape of the opening34 of the container assembly 300 is maintained. The engagement betweenthe top supporting arms 11 and the edge 310 comprising the fixing ribs312 and the edge sleeve 311 enables that the edge 310 defining the tworetaining channels 3112 has a relatively flat surface and thesurrounding wall 31 also has a flat surface that is not easy to form awrinkle surface, so that the aesthetic appearance of the containerassembly 300 is further enhanced.

In addition, the engagement between the two top supporting arms 11 andthe edge 310 comprising the fixing ribs 312 and the edge sleeve 311 alsoenables that the edge 310 of the container body 30 is detachably mountedto the two top supporting arms 11, so that the container body 30 can beeasy to be detached from the two top supporting arms 11 for cleaning.

Accordingly, the top side of the container assembly 300 is arranged withthe two top supporting arms 11, so that the aesthetic appearance of thecontainer assembly 300 is enhanced. In other alternative modes, the twotop supporting arms 11 may be flexible rods that may be inserted intothe edge sleeve 311, however, the structural strength of the containerassembly 300 may be relatively weak and the shape of the opening 34 ofthe container assembly 300 may not be guaranteed. Two rigid supportingarms 11 are not suitable for being directly inserted into the retainingchannels 3112 through the mounting holes 3111, since the operation isdifficult and the surface of the surrounding wall 31 is easy to becorrugated. Alternatively, the two top supporting arms 11 may be rigidrods that are placed between the two layers of the material of the edgesleeve 311 and then the two layers of the material of the edge sleeve311 are sewed with each other for retaining the two top supporting arms11 within the edge 310. However, this configuration will result in thatthe surface of the edge 310 is not flat, and the manufacturing procedureis relatively complicated, and also the container body 30 is fixed tothe two top supporting arms 11 can not be detached from the two topsupporting arms 11 for cleaning.

In other words, the top supporting arms 11 can be coupled with the edge310 of the surrounding wall 31 by any suitable manners, but it ispreferred that the two top supporting arms 11 are respectively engagedwith the edge 310 by means of the fixing ribs 312 and the edge sleeve311.

In this embodiment, each of the two supporting arms 11 is formed with aU-shape, and the two mounting ends 104 of the rod bodies 101 of the twotop supporting arms 11 are spaced with each other. Accordingly, the edge310 of the surrounding wall 31 define two central foldable portions 313at two opposite sides thereof that are not received in the fixingcavities 102 of the rod bodies 101 of the two top supporting arms 11, sothat when the two top supporting arms 11 are folded and overlapped witheach other, the two central foldable portions 313 of the edge 310 of thesurrounding wall 31 of the container body 30 is folded to allow theentire container body 30 to be folded.

As shown in FIG. 3J and FIG. 3K of the drawings, the two top supportingarms 11 are pivotally mounted to the two folding assemblies 110, eachfolding assembly 110 may comprise the base 111 and the linkage unit 112for mounting ends of the the supporting legs 13 and ends of the topsupporting arms 11. Each linkage unit 112 comprises two linkage members1121 respectively mounted on the top end of the supporting leg 13 andthe mounting end 104 of the top supporting arms 11. The linkage members1121 are connected by the link shafts 1122, so that the angle betweeneach top supporting arm 11 and each supporting leg 13 can be controlled.More specifically, the base 111 has a mounting groove 1111 that twomounting ends 104 of the two rod bodies 101 of the two top supportingarms 11 are pivotally mounted in the mounting groove 1111, so that thetwo top supporting arms 11 are pivotally mounted with the two foldingassemblies 110 at positions corresponding to the central foldableportions 313 of the edge 310 of the surrounding wall 31 of the containerbody 30, so that when the two top supporting arms 11 are folded andoverlapped with each other, the two central foldable portion 313 of theedge 310 of the surrounding wall 31 of the container body 30 is foldedto allow the entire container body 30 to be folded. Each of the twocentral foldable portions 313 also may be retained in the mountinggroove 1111 of the base 111 so as to be hidden in the base 111.

It is worth mentioning that the bottom wall 32 has a drain port 322 fordraining the water or cleaning liquid in the container body 30.Preferably, the drain port 322 is set at the lowest location or area ofthe bottom wall 32 for effectively draining the liquid in the containerbody 30. The drain port 322 is able to connect a drain pipe 40 to allowliquid to flow out of the container body 30 along the drain pipe 40. Adrain plug can be detachably plugged at the drain port 322 to preventthe liquid being drained out the container body 30 through the drainport 322.

Particularly, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7C, when the foldable supportingframe 10 is in the folded mode, the drain pipe 40 is located in theretention channel. The retention channel is formed with a predeterminedwidth because of the asymmetric folding of the fixed folding arm 1202and the free rotatable folding arm 1201. The drain pipe 40 is located inthe retention channel and will not be pressed by the fixed folding arm1202 and the free rotatable folding arm 1201. In other words, the drainpipe 40 is held in the retention channel at the folded mode, wherein thedrain pipe 40 is enclosed between two sides of the fixed folding arm1202 and the free rotatable folding arm 1201. Therefore, the drain pipe40 will not be damaged by any external impact, and the drain pipe 40 iskept in a certain position to avoid any unwanted movement, vibration orswinging.

The bottom wall 32 further comprises a handle 321 connected to theoperation switch 20. The operation switch 20 can be operated byoperating the handle 321 to fold the folding arm 12.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the operation switch 20 comprises a main body 21, aslider 22 movably coupled at the main body 21, and a resilient member 23connecting the main body 21 to the slider 22 so as to fasten the slider22 in the main body 21. The main constructed to have a shape for beingheld on the end of one of the folding arms 12. Particularly, the mainbody 21 is rotatably coupled at the free folding arm 1201 and fixedlycoupled at the fixed rotatable folding arm 1202. It is worth mentioningthat the slider 22 is partially protruded out of the main body 21 due tothe elastic force of the resilient member 23. When the resilient member23 is configured to push the slider 22 protruding out of the main body21, the slider 23 can support the folding arm 12 in place. Once theslider 22 is configured to move inside the main body 21, the folding arm12 will lose support, such that the folding arm 12 will fall down androtate around the rotating rod 121. When the folding arm 12 is no longersupported by the slider 22 of the operation switch 20, the folding arm12 is folded. As a result, the two folding arms 12 are folded to overlapeach other.

When the free rotatable folding arm 1201 is rotated, is supported by theslider 22, and is parallel to the fixed folding arm 1202, the foldingarm 12 is unfolded flatly, while the folding supporting frame 10 is inthe unfolded mode. When the slider 22 is configured to move back in themain body 21, the free rotatable folding arm 1201 is configured to dropand overlappedly fold with the fixed folding arm 1202.

According to the preferred embodiment, the main body 21 is formed withtwo fixed arm cavities 211, two free arm cavities 212 and a slidercavity 213. The end of the fixed folding arm 1202 is fixedly coupled inthe fixed arm cavity 211, and the rotating rod 121 is configured to passthrough the fixed arm cavity 211. The end of the free rotatable foldingarm 1201 is movably arranged in the free arm cavity 212 and rotatablyconnected around the rotating rod 121. Therefore, the rotating rod 121is configured to pass through the fixed arm cavity 211 and the free armcavity 212. In other words, both ends of the free rotatable folding arm1201 and both ends of the fixed folding arm 1202 surround the rotatingrod 121. The fixed folding arm 1202 and the fixed arm cavity 211 of themain body 21 remain stationary, wherein the free rotatable folding arm1201 is configured to rotate in the free arm cavity 212 of the main body21. The slider 22 is movably disposed in the slider cavity 213 to bemoved in or pushed by the resilient member 23 to move out of the slidercavity 213.

The switch rod 122 is located outside of the main body 21 and isconfigured to apply a pushing force to the slider 22 to move the slider22 backward in the slider cavity 213. When the switch rod 122 is liftedto force the slider 22 to move in, and when the free rotatable foldingarm 1201 is rotated around the rotating rod 121 to expand, the slider 22is pushed to move back into the slider cavity 213. When the switch rod122 passes over the slider 22 that no force is applied to the slider 22,the slider 22 is pushed out of the slider cavity 213 by the resilientmember 213 to protrude out of the slider cavity 213 again. The switchrod 122 is then supported by the slider 22 when protrude out of theslider cavity 213. Under this circumstances, the switch rod 122 cannotpush the slider 22 back, and the slider 22 bears the weight of theswitch rod 122. When the slider 22 is kept protruding out of the slidercavity 213 and the switch rod 122 is still supported by the slider 22 ofthe operation switch 20, the free rotatable folding arm 1201 and thefixed folding arm 1202 are relatively unfolded, while the folding arm 12is laid flat and stable.

The slider 22 has a supporting end 221 defining a unidirectionalinclined sloping surface. The switch rod 122 is configured to push thesupporting end 221 along the sloping surface thereof. The supporting end221 of the slider 22 is configured to support the switch rod 122 on theplanar surface thereof to bear the weight of the switch rod 122 so as toprevent the switch rod 122 being pushed back.

The slider 22 has a pulling end 222 firmly connected to a pulling strap24. By pulling out the pulling strap 24, the slider 22 is configured toresist the elastic force of the resilient member 23 and to move backwardin the slider cavity 213.

The slider 22 further comprises a stopper 223 protruded from the mainbody 21 to engage with the slider 22 inside the slider cavity 213 forpreventing the slider 22 from moving out of the slider cavity 213 viathe pushing force of the resilient member 23. In other words, the slider22 is pushed by the resilient member 23 and is held by the stopper 223in order to be held in the slider cavity 213. Also, the slider 22 isrestricted to move along a specific path in the slider cavity 213.According to the preferred embodiment, the slider 22 further comprisesat least one slide rail 2134 formed inside the slider cavity 213 tolimit the moving direction and distance of the slider 22. The slider 22further comprises at least one sliding leg 224, wherein the sliding leg224 is correspondingly engaged with the sliding rail 2134 of the slidingblock cavity 213.

The slider cavity 213 has a supporting opening 2131 corresponding to thefree rotatable folding arm 1201 and a pulling opening 2132 correspondingto the fixed folding arm 1202. The slider 22 is pushed by the resilientmember 23 to protrude out from the supporting opening 2131, wherein whenthe slider 22 is pressed by the switch rod 122, the slider 22 is pulledback toward the pulling opening 2132. The slider cavity 213 further hasa limitation window 2133. The limitation window 2133 is preferablylocated at the top of the main body 21. The limitation window 2133 isconfigured to accommodate the stopper 223 of the slider 22 inside thelimitation window 2133. The limitation window 2133 is configured toblock the stopper 223 and move within the area of the limitation window2133. In other alternative modes, the limitation window 2133 can beshaped as a groove to limit the movement of the stopper 223.

The pulling strap 24 is extended out of the main body 21 through thepulling opening 2132 from the pulling end 222 of the sliding block 22.When the pulling strap 24 is actuated to pull the slider 22 back to theslider cavity 213, the supporting end 221 is moved backward, such thatthe support of the switch rod 122 is dismissed due to the backwardmovement of the supporting end 221. The stopper 223 is restricted tocontinuously move backward by the limitation window 2133, so as to avoidfurther movement of the slider 22.

The pulling strap 24 has one end connecting to the handle 321 at thebottom wall 21 of the container body 30 and an opposed end connecting tothe slider 22. Therefore, when the handle 321 is pulled to lift thecontainer body 30, the pulling strap 24 is configured to transmit thepulling force to pull the slider 22 to move the slider 22 into theslider cavity 213. Only one action of pulling the handle 321 of thecontainer body 30 is required for operating the operation switch to foldthe foldable supporting frame 10.

In addition, the relationship and movement of the foldable containerduring the unfolding process according to the preferred embodiment areshown in FIGS. 6A to 6C.

When the foldable container is actuated for being used, as an example,the top supporting arms 11 are opened from the folded mode. The topsupporting arms 11 are configured to drive the supporting legs 13 tomove and expand around the folding assembly 110. The supporting legs 13are configured to drive the folding arms 12 to open about the pivotshafts 130. In other words, the folding arms 12 are driven to rotateabout the pivot shafts 130 by the movements of the supporting legs 13.When the folding arms 12 are unfolded to lay flat on each other, thefolding arms 12 are rotated about the rotating rod 121. The folding arm12 will be supported by the operation switch 20 to restrict its furthermovement.

Specifically, when the free rotatable folding arm 1201 is rotated to thefixed folding arm 1202, the free rotatable folding arm 1201 is rotatedto be supported by the slider 22 of the operation switch 20 and isparallel to the fixed folding arm 1202, such that the folding arms 12are expand to lay flat on each other. The foldable support frame 10 isin the unfolded mode. When the free rotatable folding arm 1201 is drivento rotate, the switch rod 122 is lifted to apply the force to thesupporting end 221 of the slider 22. Then the slider 22 is pushed tomove back into the slider cavity 213. After the switch rod 122 iscontinuously raised to pass over the slider 22, the slider 22 is notaffect by the force, such that the slider 22 is pushed out of the slidercavity 213 by the resilient member 23 to protrude out of the slidercavity 213. The switch rod 122 is supported on the slider 22 when theslider 22 is protruded out of the slider cavity 213. Under thiscircumstance, the switch rod 122 cannot push the slider 22 back byexerts its weight on the slider 22. Therefore, the folding arm 12 isunfolded and is stably supported by the switch 20. The foldable supportframe 10 is moved at its unfolded mode. The container body 30 is openedup as the top supporting arms 11 are expanded.

Accordingly, as the top supporting arm 11 of the foldable support frame10 is unfolded, the folding arm 12 is stably supported by the operationswitch 20. Furthermore, under the movement of the top supporting arm 11,the container body 30 is actuated to be opened.

In addition, the relationship and movement of the foldable containerduring the folding process according to the preferred embodiment areshown in FIGS. 7A to 7C.

In order to fold the foldable container, the handle 321 is pulled tolift the container body 30, such that the pulling strap 24 will transmita pulling force to pull the slider 22 to move back in the slider cavity213. When the folding arm 12 is unfolded, the supporting end 221 willsupport the switch rod 122 on its planar surface to bear the weight ofthe switch rod 122 without being pushed back. When the slider 22 ismoved backward in the slider cavity 213, the slider 22 will resist theelastic force of the resilient member 23. The switch rod 122 of thefolding arm 12 will be dropped after losing the supportability so as tocause the free rotatable folding arm 1201 to rotate about the rotatingrod 121. In other words, the free rotatable folding arm 1201 is droppedand folded with the fixed folding arm 1202.

When two arm portions of the folding arm 12 are folded with each other,the top supporting arms 11 and the supporting legs 13 are also foldedaccordingly. The rotation of the folding arm 12 will drive thesupporting legs 13 to move about the pivot shafts 130. In other words,the supporting legs 13 are configured to rotate with the foldingmovements of the folding arms 12, such that the top supporting arm 11 isdriven to rotate around the folding assembly 110 to be folded.

Accordingly, when the pulling strap 24 is pulled to operate theoperation switch 20, the folding arm 12 will lose the support of theoperation switch 20. Then, when folding arm 12 is folded due to gravity,the supporting legs 13, the top supporting arms 11 and the containerbody 30 are also folded along with the folding movements of the foldingarms 12. Therefore, the foldable container is folded up by one singlepulling action.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10B, a foldable container according to a secondembodiment illustrates an alternative mode of the first embodiment,wherein the difference between the first and second embodiments is thatthe container body 30′ is detachably coupled on the foldable supportingframe 10′. It is worth mentioning that the container body 30′ can be anyconventional container suitable for being carried by the foldablesupporting frame 10′.

The foldable supporting frame 10′ comprises at least two folding arms12′ and at least four supporting legs 13′. Preferably, the number of thefolding arms 12′ and the number of the supporting legs 13′ are designedaccordingly. Each of the folding arms 12′ is correspondingly supportedby the two supporting legs 13′.

In addition, according to the embodiment, the supporting legs 13′ arepivotally connected to each other about the pivot shaft 130′ and aredriven by the folding arms 12 to rotate about the pivot shaft 130′. Asshown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, as the folding arms 12′ rotate about therotating rod 121′ to be folded or unfolded, the angle and distancebetween the folding arms 12′ will change. The supporting legs 13′ arealso driven to rotate about the pivot shaft 130′.

According to the second embodiment, two of the operation switches 20 areinstalled on one of the folding arms 12′. The operation switch 20 hasthe same structure and function as the above-mentioned first embodiment,and thus not be repeated here. However, the switch rod 122′ is designedand shaped differently. The switch rod 122′ is integrally formed on thefolding arm 12′ for providing supporting purpose.

In addition, FIGS. 9A to 9B illustrate the relationship and movement ofunfolding the foldable container according to the preferred embodiment.

The foldable supporting frame 10′ is opened from the folded mode. Thesupporting legs 13′ are driven by the folding arms 12′ and are expandedabout the pivot shafts 130′. The supporting legs 13′ can drive thefolding arms 12′ to be opened. When the folding arms 12′ are unfolded tolay flat with each other, the folding arms 12′ are rotated about therotating rod 121′. The folding arm 12′ will be supported by theoperation switch 20 to restrict further downward movement, and furtherupward movement is restricted by the supporting leg 13′ and the pivotshaft 130′.

Specifically, when one of the folding arms 12′ is rotated toward anotherfolding arm 12, the switch rod 122′ is lifted to the supporting end 211of the slider 22. Each of the sliders 22 is configured to support theside of the switch rod 122′, such that the switch rod 122′ issymmetrically supported by the two operation switches 20. Then, each ofthe sliders 22 is pushed by the switch rod 122′ to move into the slidercavity 213, such that the switch rod 122′ will continue to lift and passthe slider 22. Each of the sliders 22 is pushed out of the slider cavity213 by the resilient member 23 so as to protrude out of the slidercavity 213 again. The switch rod 122′ is supported by the slider 22 andplaced on the two operation switches 20 when the slider 22 is protrudedout of the slider cavity 213. Under the circumstance, the switch rod112′ cannot push the slider 22 backward, and the weight of the switchrod 122′ is supported on the slider 22. Then, the folding arm 12′ isunfolded and is stably supported by the operation switch 20. Thefoldable supporting frame 10′ is then moved at the unfolded mode. Thecontainer body 30′ can be placed on the folding arms 12′.

Accordingly, as the folding arm 12′ or the supporting leg 13′ of thefoldable supporting frame 10′ is unfolded, the folding arm 12′ is stablysupported by the operation switch 20, such that the switch lever 122′can support the weight of the container body 30′.

In addition, relationship and movement of the foldable container duringthe folding process according to the preferred embodiment are shown inFIGS. 10A to 10B.

When the folding arm 12′ is unfolded, the switch rod 122′ is supportedon the planar surface of the supporting end 221 to support the weight ofthe switch rod 122′ without being pushed back. In order to fold thefoldable container, it is necessary to pull the two pulling straps 24′,such that each slider 22 is moved backward in the slider cavity 213.Each of the sliders 22 is pulled back in the slider cavity 213 againstthe elastic force of the resilient member 23. The switch rod 122′ of thefolding arm 12′ will lose the support, and then will fall and rotateabout the rotating rod 121′. In other words, one of the folding arms 12′is dropped for being folded with another folding arm 12′. The rotationof the folding arm 12′ will drive the supporting leg 13′ to move aboutthe pivot shaft 130′. In other words, as the folding arm 12′ is folded,the supporting leg 13′ is rotated correspondingly.

Normally, when the pulling strap 24 is pulled to actuate the operationswitch 20, the folding arm 12′ will lose the support provided by theoperation switch 20. Then the folding arm 12′ is folded by its owngravity, wherein the supporting leg 13′ is folded as the folding arm 12′is folded. Therefore, the foldable container is folded by the singlepulling action.

In an alternative mode of the present invention, two pulling straps 24can be connected end-to-end. Then, by pulling only one of the pullingstraps 24, the two operation switches 20 can be operated. In addition,the two ends of the pulling strap 24 are securely fastened to the twosliders 22 respectively. By pulling the pulling strap 24, the twooperation switches 20 are operated at the same time.

Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 , a foldable container according toa third embodiment illustrates another alternative mode of the firstembodiment, wherein the difference between the first and thirdembodiment is that the third embodiment further comprises a mattress 50Adisposed in the container body 30, such that the container body 30serves as a bed or a resting basket.

In other words, at least two folding arms 12 and at least foursupporting legs 13 are correspondingly configured, wherein each of thefolding arms 12 is correspondingly supported by two supporting legs 13.Similarly, the supporting legs 13 are pivotally connected to each otherabout the pivot shaft 130, wherein the supporting leg 13 is driven bythe folding arm 12 to rotate about the pivot shaft 130. As the foldingarms 12 rotate about the rotating rod 121 to fold or unfold, the angleand distance between the folding arms 12 change. The supporting leg 13is also driven to rotate about the pivot shaft 130. The operation switch20 is coupled at one of the folding arms 12. The operation switch 20 hasthe same structure and function as the above mentioned first embodiment,and thus not being repeated here.

It is worth mentioning that the extension legs 14A of the foldablesupporting frame 10 are implemented differently in the third embodiment.The extension leg 14A further comprises a rocking frame 141A, two cornerframes 142A, and two foot stands 143A, wherein the rocking frame 141A isan elongated bar shape and is formed in a curved manner, wherein twoends of the rocking frame 141A is coupled to the two corner frames 142Arespectively, wherein the foot stands 143A are pivotally coupled at thecorner frames 142A respectively. The rocking frame 141A is arrangedextended along a lower part of the supporting leg 13 in a convex mannerfor supporting on the ground. Each of the foot stands 143A comprises asupporting stand 1431A and a swinging stand 1432A integrally extendedtherefrom. For retaining the extension leg 14A at a stationary position,the supporting stands 1431A are rotatably extended toward a direction ofthe supporting leg 13 away from the rocking frame 141A and are rotatablyfolded away from each other to stand on the ground. For retaining theextension leg 14A at a rocking position, the supporting stands 1431A arerotatably folded to overlap with the rocking frame 141A, wherein theswinging stands 1432A are outwardly extended from the two corner frames142A for limiting a rocking motion of the rocking frame 141A.

Furthermore, the supporting stand 1431A and the swinging stand 1432A areintegrally formed in a one-piece member and are rotatably coupled at thecorner frames 142A respectively. As shown in FIG. 12 , when the swingingstand 1432A is rotated to extend to the direction of the supporting leg13, the rocking frame 141A is supported on the ground. Via the curvatureof the rocking frame 141A, the extension legs 14 can be rocked at asideward rocking motion. Therefore, when the mattress 50A is placed inthe container body 30, the container body 30 serves as a baby crib orbaby cradle for a baby resting therein.

As shown in FIG. 13 , when the supporting stands 1431A are rotatablyextended to the direction of the supporting leg 13, the supportingstands 1431A are supported on the ground, such that the rocking frame141A is raised above the ground. Then, the extension leg 14A is stablysupported on the ground with four ground points. Therefore, when themattress 50A is placed on the container body 30A, the container body 30Aserves as a infant bed for a baby, and the foldable supporting frame 10serves as a rocking bed for the baby.

It is worth mentioning that the operation of the extension legs 14A willnot affect the unfolding and folding operations of the foldablesupporting frame 10. The mattress 50A further comprises with a mattresshandle 51A, wherein the mattress handle 51A is connected to theoperation switch 20 to be pulled up for actuating the folding operationof the operation switch 20.

According to the preferred embodiment, the present invention furtherprovides a folding method for the foldable container, which comprisesthe steps of:

-   -   folding the container body 30 via a pulling force; and    -   when folding up the container body 30, folding the foldable        supporting frame 10 from the unfolded mode to the folded mode,        wherein at the unfolded mode, the container body 30 is supported        by the foldable supporting frame 10, and at the folded mode, the        foldable supporting frame and the container body 30 are folded        together.

Specifically, the container body 30 is connected with the operationswitch 20, wherein the operation switch 20 is actuated to fold thefoldable supporting frame 10. In other words, the operation of thecontainer body 30 is configured to drive the operation of the operationswitch 20, thereby realizing the folding operation of the foldablesupporting frame from the container body 30. Since the container body 30is folded by the pulling action to fold up the foldable supporting frame10 at the same time, the entire folding operation of the foldablecontainer is automatically actuated and completed by one pulling action.

One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of thepresent invention as shown in the drawings and described above isexemplary only and not intended to be limiting. It will thus be seenthat the objects of the present invention have been fully andeffectively accomplished. The embodiments have been shown and describedfor the purposes of illustrating the functional and structuralprinciples of the present invention and is subject to change withoutdeparture from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes allmodifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A foldable container for pet bathing, comprising:a foldable supporting frame; and a container body arranged on saidsupporting frame and constructed to be unfolded for containing a liquidfor the pet to bath, wherein said foldable supporting frame comprisestwo top supporting arms each comprising a rod body having a fixingcavity and a slot communicated to said fixing cavity, wherein saidcontainer body comprises a bottom wall and a surrounding wall connectedto said bottom wall, wherein said surrounding wall comprises an edgewhich is detachably mounted in said fixing cavity of said rod bodythrough said slot.
 2. The foldable container according to claim 1,wherein said edge of said surrounding wall comprises an edge sleeve andtwo fixing ribs received in said edge sleeve, wherein said two fixingribs is mounted in said fixing cavity of said rod body of each of saidtwo top supporting arms to fix said edge sleeve between said fixing ribsand said rod body.
 3. The foldable container according to claim 2,wherein each of said two top supporting arms is made of a rigidmaterial, each of said two fixing ribs is made of a flexible material.4. The foldable container according to claim 2, wherein said edge sleeveof said surrounding wall has two mounting holes and two retainingchannels, wherein each of said two mounting holes are respectivelycommunicated to said two retaining channels, wherein said two fixingribs are respectively inserted into said two retaining channels throughsaid two mounting holes and are respectively retained in said tworetaining channels.
 5. The foldable container according to claim 1,wherein said two top supporting arms are spacedly mounted to said edgeof said surrounding wall of said container body to define a centralfoldable portion of said edge of said surrounding wall of said containerbody between said two top supporting arms, wherein said central foldableportion of said surrounding wall of said container body is folded whensaid two top supporting arms are folded.
 6. The foldable containeraccording to claim 2, wherein said two top supporting arms are spacedlymounted to said edge of said surrounding wall of said container body todefine a central foldable portion of said edge of said surrounding wallof said container body between said two top supporting arms, whereinsaid central foldable portion of said surrounding wall of said containerbody is folded when said two top supporting arms are folded.
 7. Thefoldable container according to claim 4, wherein said two top supportingarms are spacedly mounted to said edge of said surrounding wall of saidcontainer body to define a central foldable portion of said edge of saidsurrounding wall of said container body between said two top supportingarms, wherein said central foldable portion of said surrounding wall ofsaid container body is folded when said two top supporting arms arefolded.
 8. The foldable container according to claim 1, wherein saidcontainer body is a flexible body that is made of a flexible water-proofmaterial selected from the group consisting of Polyethylene, PolyvinylChloride, Polypropylene and Thermoplastic Urethane, wherein each of saidtwo top supporting arms is made of rigid material selected from thegroup consisting of wood, metal, metal alloy, and plastic.
 9. Thefoldable container according to claim 2, wherein said container body ismade of Polyvinyl Chloride and each of said two top supporting arms ismade of Aluminium.
 10. The foldable container according to claim 2,wherein said container body is folded up with a folding of said foldablesupporting frame and unfolded with an unfolding of said foldablesupporting frame.
 11. The foldable container according to claim 2,wherein said container body further comprise a handle connected to saidbottom wall of said container body, wherein said handle is configuredfor driving a folding of said foldable supporting frame by a singlepulling operation, so as to fold up said container body with the foldingof said foldable supporting frame.
 12. A container assembly for afoldable container which is used for pet bathing, comprising: acontainer body comprising a bottom wall and a surrounding wall connectedto said bottom wall, wherein said surrounding wall comprises an edgewhich comprises an edge sleeve and two fixing ribs received in said edgesleeve; and two top supporting arms, wherein each of said two topsupporting arms comprises a rod body having a fixing cavity and a slotcommunicated to said fixing cavity, wherein said edge of saidsurrounding wall of said container body is placed in said fixing cavitythrough said slot and is retained in said fixing cavity, so as to mountsaid container body with said two top supporting arms.
 13. The containerassembly according to claim 12, wherein said edge sleeve of saidsurrounding wall has two mounting holes and two retaining channels,wherein each of said two mounting holes are respectively communicated tosaid two retaining channels, wherein said two fixing ribs arerespectively inserted into said two retaining channels through said twomounting holes and are respectively retained in said two retainingchannels.
 14. The container assembly according to claim 13, wherein eachof said two fixing ribs is shaped and sized to couple with said fixingcavity of said corresponding top supporting arm for retaining each ofsaid two fixing ribs within said fixing cavity of said corresponding topsupporting arm.
 15. The container assembly according to claim 12,wherein said two top supporting arms define an opening of said containerassembly.
 16. The container assembly according to claim 12, wherein saidtwo top supporting arms are spacedly mounted to said edge of saidsurrounding wall of said container body to define a central foldableportion of said edge of said surrounding wall of said container bodybetween said two top supporting arms, wherein said central foldableportion of said surrounding wall of said container body is folded whensaid two top supporting arms are folded.
 17. The container assemblyaccording to claim 12, wherein said container body is a flexible bodythat is made of a flexible water-proof material selected from the groupconsisting of Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polypropylene andThermoplastic Urethane.
 18. The container assembly according to claim17, wherein each of said two supporting arm is made of rigid materialselected from the group consisting of wood, metal, metal alloy, andplastic.
 19. The container assembly according to claim 12, wherein saidcontainer body is a flexible body that is made of a flexible water-proofmaterial selected from the group consisting of Polyethylene, PolyvinylChloride, Polypropylene and Thermoplastic Urethane, wherein each of saidtwo top supporting arms is made of rigid material selected from thegroup consisting of wood, metal, metal alloy, and plastic.
 20. Thecontainer assembly according to claim 12, wherein said container body ismade of Polyvinyl Chloride and each of said two top supporting arms ismade of Aluminium.